Pregnant in prison

In 1994, Prison TV's Kas Fer interviewed Molly Goddard on what its like to be ‘Pregnant in Prison’. Molly talked about fear and anxiety and wondered whether Corrections Canada would let her keep her baby at the prison. She explained how noise and tension on the cell block can be a distraction and noted how staff does the best they can to accommodate her special needs. Since this interview, Corrections Canada has implemented a mother-child program with a goal to “provide mechanisms that foster and promote stability and continuity for the child in its relationship with its mother”. The best interests of the child, including the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being, is the primary consideration in decisions relating to participation in the mother-child program, says the Correctional Services. There are aprox 350 federal women offenders living at Nova Institution for Women in Truro, Nova Scotia; Joliette Institution in Joliette, Quebec; Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ontario; Edmonton Institution for Women in Edmonton, Alberta; and the Okimaw Ochi Healing Lodge, in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan. Women offenders in British Columbia are incarcerated at the provincial Burnaby Correctional Centre for Women.